Stay
by Shikami Yamino
Summary: She had fascinated him, most likely captured him from that moment. All without ever meaning to do so. Athrun x Cagalli. [Part 3 of 3 COMPLETE]
1. Part 1 of 3

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**Disclaimer:** All characters and specifics of "Kidousenshi Gundam SEED" are copyrighted Sotsu Agency, Sunrise and Mainichi Broadcasting. All rights reserved. This fanfiction is property of Shikami Yamino and is not intended for any monetary purpose nor an infringement of copyright laws. No one is to post/host/use any aspect of this fanfic without explicit permission from the author.

**Notes:** I hate my muses!! They always do this to me during exams!!! /punts muses deep into orbit/ But otherwise, I offer my little take on Athrun and Cagalli's relationship. Set after the series... so, obviously **spoilers from about episode 40-ish onwards!!** Hopefully not too OOC though... 

For those of you who are waiting for the continuation to **Blind Descent**, I can only extend my apologies and say that this semester has been hectic in a way that no other semester has been. And my muses, as you can see, are both vindictive and fickle beings. I **will** get to BD after exams!

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**Kidousenshi Gundam SEED: "Stay"** -- Part 1 of 3  
by Shikami Yamino

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She was nothing like anybody he'd ever encountered.

Ever since their first meeting, she'd contradicted almost everything he'd ever known. 

Athrun Zala gazed tenderly down at the blonde tucked against his side, sleeping peacefully, an arm thrown around him for good measure. 

In fact, Cagalli Yula Athha was practically contradiction personified. 

Her tomboy-ish mannerisms; her feminine sensitivities. Her worldliness; her innocence. Her strength of character; her hidden frailties. Her bull-headed determination and her moments of painful indecision. 

They called her the Goddess of Victory. They called her Orb's Princess. She was a leader and a mobile suit pilot. But to Athrun, she never seemed more than that girl-child who had shamelessly enjoyed a simple rain storm on a deserted island. One who had blushed as she realized how far she'd pulled up her shirt to get at a stray crab. One who had cried as she held his gun, desperate to stop the slaughter but unwilling to pull the trigger. One who had been gentle as she'd bandaged his wounds, determined not to be indebted to him. 

She had fascinated him; most likely captured him from that moment. All without ever meaning to do so. 

She stirred, her nose wrinkling as she mumbled incoherently under her breath. Around his waist, her arm tightened, checking to see that he was still here as he'd promised. 

Smiling, he ran his fingers through her hair, muttering quiet words of nonsense that soothed her back into a dreamless sleep. 

She'd barely let him out of her sight since they returned from the final battle. 

After leaving an exhausted Kira in Lacus's capable hands, he'd escorted her to her stateroom aboard the Kusanagi. From the way she'd leaned into his supporting arm around her waist without protest, he knew she had to have been as equally exhausted as Kira. But when he'd deposited her on her bed and moved to leave, she had latched onto his wrist and told him in her most stubborn voice that he wasn't going anyplace where he would be left alone to think. 

----- 

He blinked at her uncomprehendingly. 

Honey brown eyes fought desperately against the sleep that was trying to force them closed before she was ready. "You think too much when you're alone with nothing to do. And you always think bad things." In her exhaustion, she never realised how much worry she'd projected into her voice. Or how much her voice betrayed her years. "Stay. Sleep." 

It was amazing how well she knew him after only a brief acquaintance. But in his current fatigued state, he wasn't at all opposed to the idea of not having to think. Especially not about what had happened in the last few hours. 

Athrun's lips turned up in a wan smile, resolutely pushing that thought out of his mind. "Is that an order?" 

She pouted, her voice turning petulant as she repeated more firmly, "Stay. Sleep." 

His smile finally touched his eyes and he couldn't resist adding a teasing "But Justice isn't under Kusanagi's command." 

Glaring sleepily, Cagalli tugged resolutely on the wrist she held. "Well Strike Rouge is. And since you came in on her, and I'm her pilot, what I say goes!" 

Athrun chuckled quietly but obeyed her summons and returned to the bed. Sitting down, he watched her scoot over to make room for him on the wide bunk. Without further prompting, he laid down on his side facing her in the vacated space, tucking a curled arm under his head. 

Realising he was now staring at her, a quick blush spread over Cagalli's cheeks. "What?" she demanded. 

A corner of Athrun's lips quirked upwards before he shut his eyes. "Nothing." 

Silence reigned for a fleeting moment. Then her sleep-fuzzed voice drifted into his ears. "'Night..." 

Emerald eyes opened briefly; just long enough for Athrun to catch his bunk-mate's peacefully sleeping visage before Morpheus claimed him as well. "Good night..." 

----- 

They had slept like the dead that night. But no matter how deep, or how exhaustive a sleep, the nightmares always found a way to sink their claws into vulnerable emotions. 

There were so many things he could have done differently in the year they'd been at war. It plagued him -- whether any of the other paths he could have chosen to walk would have led him to a different conclusion; would have made a difference. He was well aware that it was useless. There was no way he could turn back time to do things over. But still, the thoughts teased at him, threatening to break him under the sheer weight of the possibilities. 

Fortunately, she was always there to shoulder a little of the weight before he could stumble. 

He remembered jolting awake that night to the feeling of moisture on his cheeks, his harsh breaths deafening in the silence that permeated the room. Before his eyes still floated the apparition of the gun that had been pointed at him. And no matter how irrational his brain told him it was, he'd still found himself clutching at his right shoulder. 

The wound had long since healed, leaving not even a scar behind to mark its existence. But the image of his own father pulling the trigger of a gun aimed at him was one he would never forget. Nor, he doubted, would he ever be able to exorcise the little dagger that twisted in his chest everytime he remembered how his own father had refused to listen to anything he had to say; preferring instead to brand him a traitor. 

That night, those thoughts had viciously ripped any hope of more sleep from his exhausted mind. After glancing over at Cagalli's quietly slumbering form, he'd slipped silently from the bed and the room, not wanting to disturb her with the irrepressible antics of his inner demons. 

It hadn't taken long for her to come find him. 

----- 

"There you are." 

Glancing away from the window on which he was perched, Athrun smiled sheepishly in the face of the blonde's palpable ire. "You should still be sleeping." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he felt like kicking himself. 

Judging from the way her scowl darkened, it had evidently been the wrong thing to say. 

"So should you," Cagalli retorted, coming to stand beside him. "I told you you weren't supposed to be left alone to think." 

Dropping his eyes from hers, Athrun returned his gaze to the window. "There's a lot to think about..." 

Neither spoke for a moment, the heavy silence only broken when her quiet, almost wistful murmur floated to his ears. 

"You don't have to do it alone, you know." 

He looked up at her, startled, only to find her gaze no longer focused on him. Instead, it was turned outward. To the wreckage of Jachin Doue and GENESIS that lay on the other side of the glass. And to the carnage that drifted in scattered clusters around them. 

Belatedly, he remembered that he wasn't the only one who'd lost friends and family to this senseless war. Reflected in her russet eyes were the flames that had consumed her home, her friends, her life as she knew it, and her father. 

He reached out hesitantly for her hand in silent apology. "Cagalli..." 

She bit her lip, closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. Then she tilted her head and regarded him with exasperated eyes that hid a spark of grudging affection. "You give yourself entirely too much credit Athrun Zala." 

Athrun frowned at this total turn-around in the topic of conversation. 

"You think you can carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. That everytime something goes wrong, it went wrong because you didn't do enough, didn't get there in time, didn't make the right decision." 

She turned to give him the full brunt of her irritation. "You need to get it into that thick Coordinator skull that you can't take responsibility for everything that went wrong." 

Athrun averted his eyes, attention wrested back by the destruction that lay almost close enough to touch. "He was my father... I should have - " 

A hard poke in his chest effectively stayed the rest of that sentence. And by the time he turned back to her, her expression had already changed from mildly-annoyed to fierce. 

"Stop that!" She growled at him. "You're not anymore responsible for that," she gestured imperviously at the view, "than I am for the destruction of Orb! Our fathers made their choices! What we have to do now is make our own, not shoulder the burden of theirs!" 

He stared at her; at the angry tears she was defiantly holding back, and felt a weight lift off his heart. It was uncanny how she could always manage to put him at ease; to quell the little voice in the back of his head that fed his guilt and inadequacies. But he was thankful for it. Appreciated it. Appreciated **her**. 

Tugging at the hand he still held in his grasp, he rose from his seat to enfold her in his arms. Turning his face into her hair, he was gratified to feel her arms come up around him just as tightly. "I'm sorry..." 

Her voice, when it reached him, was muffled from where her face was buried in the crook of his neck, but determined. "I wasn't going to let you die out there... I'm not going to let you do this to yourself either." 

He smiled faintly, feeling himself calm as the scent of her wrapped itself around him. "I know. I'll do better, I promise." 

"You'd better." 

At the half-hearted threat, he chuckled soundlessly, and then was content to simply hold her. 

----- 

When they'd finally returned to the bed that night, she'd made sure to keep a secure arm around him. On pain of another barrage of Cagalli Yula Athha's formidable temper, her annoyed scowl had warned him away from any more late-night sojourns around the ship with only his thoughts to keep him company. 

Since then, it seemed she'd created a permanent space for him in her stateroom. Or was it more correct to say that neither of them had objected to the arrangement that had initially been based solely on exhaustion? Certainly, she'd never made clear any intention other than to be there for him at night when the demons were prone to come knocking. And if Kisaka had anything to say about the propriety of the arrangement, he kept it to himself. 

Though he could never say the words, he had a feeling she knew how grateful he was of her presence. 

----- 

"..thrun! Athrun!!" 

Blinking away the apparitions of friends long since gone, he opened his eyes to focus Cagalli's face staring worriedly down at him. Slowly, he took stock of his surroundings as his senses returned to him one by one. 

"Athrun...?" 

Forcing his tense muscles to relax, he swallowed convulsively, attempting to wet a throat that was both dry and hoarse from screaming. 

"It's all right. I've got you," she murmured, gently coaxing his hand from where it was tangled in the sheets to press a drink bulb filled with water into it. 

As he drank thirstily from the bulb, she continued to murmur softly to him, gently brushing away the soft blue strands of hair from his sweat-soaked forehead. "I've got you. It was just a nightmare..." 

When he at last felt some semblance of speech capacity return to him, he loosened his grip on the water bulb, allowing it to drift away. Taking in a shuddering breath and managing half a rueful smile, he whispered, "Sorry... Did I wake you...?" 

She shook her head, concerned eyes still fixed on him searchingly in the semi-darkness. 

That was enough for him to dredge up the other half of that smile. "Liar," he accused tenderly. 

Cagalli blushed, scowled, then blushed some more; wanting but somehow unable to find her temper in the face of his open affection. She finally settled on "I was getting up anyway," then scrambled to climb over him and off the bunk. 

"Cagalli..." 

She turned when he caught her hand and looked down at him as he struggled for words. Smiling softly, she bent to brush her lips over his forehead before detangling her hand and heading for the washroom. 

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**End Part 1... to be continued.**

**Author's Notes:** Thoughts?? /runs off to study for her property exam tomorrow/


	2. Part 2 of 3

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**Disclaimer:** All characters and specifics of "Kidousenshi Gundam SEED" are copyrighted Sotsu Agency, Sunrise and Mainichi Broadcasting. All rights reserved. This fanfiction is property of Shikami Yamino and is not intended for any monetary purpose nor an infringement of copyright laws. No one is to post/host/use any aspect of this fanfic without explicit permission from the author.

**Notes:** My thanks go out to everyone who reviewed, especially to **Sai** for her constructive criticism; and **Sparrow** /glomps/ for being someone who can understand my pain /grins/ Exam went fairly well... though it can never be too long before I have to look at another priority dispute /winks/. 

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**Kidousenshi Gundam SEED: "Stay"** -- Part 2 of 3  
by Shikami Yamino

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It humbled him, how much he'd come to depend on her; how much he needed her; how precious she was to him.

So much so, it probably would have made him feel inadequate had he not known that she needed him just as much. 

Athrun smiled wryly down at the sleeping figure of Orb Council's new Head Representative. 

For all that she'd been adamant they shouldn't have to bear the burden of their fathers' choices, she couldn't walk away from the legacy her father had left her. She was, after all, an Athha. The name alone carried with it the expectations of a nation. 

Uzumi Nara Athha had been a wise leader. Fair, just, compassionate. Unwavering in his resolve and convictions. 

Cagalli Yula Athha was now expected to fill those shoes. And she knew better than anyone how big those shoes really were. 

He swallowed a wave of bitterness when his eyes landed unerringly on the dark circles under hers. 

Ever since they'd embarked on the trip back to Orb a week ago, she'd been working herself to the bone. In addition to attending the peace talks, she had tracked down and offered condolences to the families of the council members who had followed Uzumi Nara Athha to the final moment. She had gathered together what was left of her father's cabinet. If there was a meeting, she'd either organised it, or wanted to sit in on it. If there were reports coming in, she wanted a copy of it on her desk as soon as it got here. Anything that had to do with Orb's rebuilding, she wanted a personal hand in. 

And she was nothing if not stubborn. 

For the last few days, in between the times he'd spent in the maintenance pits helping the crew prepare for atmospheric re-entry, he had watched her. Watched her come to bed later and later. Watched her get up at ridiculous hours in order to attend meetings held in a different time zone via vid-phone. Watched her spend longer and longer hours at her desk. 

His numerous attempts at convincing her to rest had all been unreservedly rebuffed on account of one more file to read or one more meeting to prepare for. For his part, he'd made an effort to respect her wishes. He was a mere soldier after all. What did he know about how to run a country? Nevertheless, it did nothing to temper the growing resentment he bit back every time she crawled into bed in the early hours of the morning, utterly exhausted. 

Everything had finally come to a head last night when he'd returned late from the pits only to find no sleeping Cagalli in her stateroom. Even after compensating for her long days, he had fully expected her to be asleep by the time he finished with the final preparations for re-entry. 

The subsequent visit to Kisaka to voice his concerns had been met with an unexpectedly frustrated consensus from the older man. Because she was no longer simply the Head Representative's rebellious daughter. She was now Orb's leader. And regardless of how many birthdays he'd seen her go through, how many tantrums he'd averted, or how many tears he'd dried, that fact alone made Kisaka powerless to stop her obsessive endeavor to uphold the expectations of Orb's populace. 

Which was what had led Athrun to be standing outside her office door with single-minded determination, his own anger simmering beneath a thin veneer of self-control. 

----- 

He palmed the door and leaned on the open doorway as he watched her sift through the reports piled up on her desk. Every once in a while, she picked up her stylus and made a note on the pad sitting by her elbow. The remains of her dinner also sat at her elbow; cold and only nibbled on at best. Most likely forgotten hours ago in the wake of some document that had caught her attention. 

He watched the frown of concentration that seemed permanently settled on her forehead disappear as she raised a hand to cover up a yawn. That hand then immediately strayed to where her coffee cup sat steaming, automatically bringing the black beverage to her lips without taking her eyes off the page in front of her. 

When his heightened senses caught a whiff of the coffee's strong aroma, he felt a frown begin to cloud his own features. Pushing himself off the doorway, he crossed the room in three strides and gently plucked the mug from her grip. 

Eyes glazed from fatigue flickered up at him for the first time, brightening for a brief moment. 

"Athrun!" Those eyes then darted to the chronograph and widened before she aimed a sheepish smile at him. "Ah... sorry, I lost track of the time. You can go ahead, I'll be done here in a bit..." 

Athrun shook his head and adamantly plucked the reports from her grasp as well, dancing nimbly out of the way when she lunged after them with a cry of protest. "Cagalli, when you need coffee this strong to stay awake, it means it's time for bed." 

She scowled at him as she made her way out from behind her desk. "Athrun! Give those back. I told you I'm almost done!" 

Setting the half-full coffee mug safely on the bookshelf, Athrun thrust the hand that held the papers behind his back. "The last time you told me that, it took you another four hours to be 'done'." 

In her eyes, he saw her temper flare. 

"Athrun! Give them back! I need them for the meeting tomorrow!" 

Casting a quick glance behind his shoulder at the title on the documents, Athrun raised an eyebrow. "Tender for building materials? The accountants usually handle these reports Cagalli." 

She glared. "That doesn't mean I don't have to read them! The meeting tomorrow - " 

"Is a meeting Kisaka tells me you don't have to attend." He could feel his own patience wearing thin as he interrupted her. 

That froze her for a brief moment before her scowl returned darker than before. "Why have you been talking to Kisaka about me?" 

He chose to ignore the note of betrayal that tinged her voice. "Because Kisaka is worried about you! And to tell you the truth, so am I!" 

"I'm completely fine!" 

The tenuous restraint he had on his temper frayed and eventually snapped in the face of her obstinate contempt for her own body's needs. "Cagalli, stop being so stubborn and look at what you're doing to yourself! You don't eat. You don't sleep. You drink coffee all day and when you do come to bed, you sleep a measly few hours before you're back at it!" 

He glared at her. "I told you that I would protect you. That means from yourself as well!" 

She glowered at him in stony silence before drawing herself up to her full height, fists clenched at her sides, and enunciated clearly, "I can take care of myself Athrun Zala. I don't need you here to baby me like my nursemaid." 

Stiffly, she turned and made her way back to her desk only to be pulled out the door by a hard hand on her wrist. The documents that Athrun had withheld from her fluttered to the ground in their wake. 

Struggling with his gentle but nonetheless secure grip proved futile against his Coordinator strength. Of course, that didn't mean her voice was under any such impairment. 

"Athrun! Let go! Let go dammit! Athrun!!" 

In his anger, he refused to look at her or even acknowledge her objections; pulling her single-mindedly down the corridor in the direction of the galley. 

Eyes spitting sparks at the blatant disregard, she tugged hard on the arm he held, pulling him off balance for the mere fraction of a second she needed to sweep a practised foot between his. What she hadn't expected was that his instinctive tuck and roll would end up pulling her to the floor as well. 

Athrun's combat training clicked into overdrive as soon as he felt himself falling. While he still had the presence of mind to put himself between the hard floor and Cagalli for the initial impact, it didn't prevent him from rolling them over afterwards so that he ended up braced over her in a painfully familiar position. 

They glared at each other over the mere inches that separated them, in what would have been an extremely compromising position had anyone stumbled onto the scene. Fortunately, it was a bit too late for anyone to be wandering the decks. 

And then déjà vu hit Athrun like a ton of bricks. 

Letting his eyes flicker quickly over their positions, he could feel his anger dissipating in face of the laughter threatening to bubble up inside him. By the time his eyes returned to lock with hers, he could only smile dryly. "At least you didn't throw a loaded gun this time." 

When she looked at him as if he'd just grown two heads, he gave voice to the chuckle he'd attempted to suppress. "Just don't scream." 

He saw realisation dawn in her eyes and then watched her russet gaze make the same journey his own had over their tangled forms. When her eyes made their way back to his, the black anger in them had been somewhat appeased by an impish light. 

"That depends," she retorted sassily. "Are you going to make a comment about me being a girl again?" 

His laughter quieted into a warm smile. "I don't think I'll ever make that mistake again, Miss Cagalli Yula Athha," he murmured as he ran a calloused thumb over her cheek. 

He admired the blush that stained her cheeks for a moment before his thumb strayed from her cheek to the dark circles under her eyes. The smile vanished, though the warmth in his gaze remained. "But you're mistaken," he continued quietly, "if you think I'm going to let you run yourself into the ground like this." 

She opened her mouth to argue, only to be silenced by a pointed look. 

"I don't think I'm the only one here who thinks they can carry the weight of the world on their shoulders, Miss Athha, wouldn't you agree? Orb won't fall apart if you're not there for a meeting on who gets to supply the building materials... But Orb will fall apart if its Head Representative is bed-ridden because she didn't see fit to take care of herself and is suffering from chronic exhaustion." 

He smiled indulgently at her petulant expression; a most gracious acknowledgment of defeat by Cagalli Yula Athha standards. 

"So how about I make you a deal, Miss Head Representative?" 

She raised a golden eyebrow at him, interest roused. 

"I get to drag you away from your work when I think you're working too much, and you get to drag me away from my thoughts when you think I'm thinking too much." He shifted more of his weight onto one hand and stuck the other one out between their bodies. "Deal?" 

Cagalli regarded his hand critically before throwing her own condition out onto the negotiation 'table'. "Within reason." 

Athrun's lips curved upwards in affectionate exasperation. "Within reason," he conceded. 

She grinned at him and reached out to grab his hand. "Deal!" 

They remained in that position, eyes locked, hands clasped, revelling in the feeling of being in perfect harmony before a discreet cough startled them from their thoughts. 

Blue and blonde heads whipped around to the source of the cough to find Kisaka and Erica Simmons valiantly trying to keep down what was sure to be a pair of twin amused grins. It could be noted that Kisaka was having considerably more luck than Erica. 

Like a pair of six-year-olds who'd been caught with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar, Athrun and Cagalli scrambled into standing positions. Flustered hands tugged anxiously at their clothing as identical blushes stole slowly over their cheeks. 

Schooling their features, Kisaka and Erica strolled towards them at a measured pace. 

"We came to see if Cagalli wanted to get a quick bite to eat before bed, but it seems like she's already in good company," Erica said in her deceptively level professor's voice. Regrettably, she ruined it by tossing Athrun a wink as she walked past them. "I'm sure you two can find your way to the galley by yourselves." 

Athrun flushed harder, forcing out a stilted "Yes Ma'am," in answer. 

"And Cagalli," Kisaka called out over his shoulder. "I'm pleased that you're practising your negotiation skills, but that may not be the most appropriate method for Council Chambers." 

"Kisaka!!" Cagalli yelled indignantly, a scandalised expression clouding her reddened face when she realised just how much they had to have overheard. 

Erica's delighted laugh drifted back to them as the pair turned the corner. "Good night, kids." 

The 'kids' stood rooted to the spot until they were sure that the pair had strolled out of hearing range. Then Cagalli ventured a quick glance at her partner in crime only to find him offering her a small embarrassed smile. She answered with a smile of her own and followed, this time without protest, when her hand was once again clasped in his as he led them down the corridor. 

He glanced at her over his shoulder. "Food, then bed." 

She smirked at him. "Gotta catch me first!" With that, she twisted her hand out of his grasp and darted ahead, her laughter creating a teasing trail for him to follow. 

"Cagalli!" Shaking his head at her antics, he couldn't help a grin from spreading over his own features as he gave chase. 

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**End Part 2... to be concluded.**

**Author's Notes:** Uhhh yeah... I actually quite enjoyed writing this bit /LOL/ Your thoughts?


	3. Part 3 of 3

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**  
Disclaimer:** All characters and specifics of "Kidousenshi Gundam SEED" are copyrighted Sotsu Agency, Sunrise and Mainichi Broadcasting. All rights reserved. This fanfiction is property of Shikami Yamino and is not intended for any monetary purpose nor an infringement of copyright laws. No one is to post/host/use any aspect of this fanfic without explicit permission from the author. 

**Notes:** Back from Japan!! Thanks to all the readers for your patience in the wait for this chapter.

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**Kidousenshi Gundam SEED: "Stay"** -- Part 3 of 3  
by Shikami Yamino

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Chuckling silently at the memory, Athrun ran tender fingers down his bunk-mate's cheek, boyishly enchanted when she wrinkled her nose, grumbled unintelligibly and turned her face into where it was pillowed on his shoulder in an attempt to escape the intruding digits.

Once he'd gotten her away from the coffee, she'd just about fallen asleep sitting on the hard benches in the galley. In the end, he'd practically had to carry her back to her stateroom and somehow hadn't been able to convince her to unwrap herself from around him. Which was how he'd ended up with the circulation to his arm cut off from having his shoulder be used as a pillow.

Knowing himself to be smitten, he supposed it was a small price to pay to guard her sleep.

Flicking a glance at the chrono's illuminated numbers, he realised that there was only a few more hours before they began re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. From there, it would only be a short ride before they landed at what was left of Orb's Kaguya base.

He wondered how things would change once they reached the surface.

Kira had been withdrawn for the past few weeks, caught up battling his own demons from the war. Lacus was concerned but seemed to accept the fact that these things would take time. She would be taking Kira to Malchio once they land so that Kira would have a quiet environment in which to recuperate. She had also extended the invitation to both he and Cagalli, to which Cagalli had reluctantly refused, promising instead to visit often. He had yet to give Lacus an answer, though her gentle, knowing smile told him that she certainly wouldn't be offended if he refused as well.

Beside him, Cagalli stirred again, her movements this time telling him that there would be no more coaxing her back into the sleep she desperately needed. Shaking his head inwardly, he watched her pull herself slowly away from Morpheus's clutches.

"Why are you thinking again?" she grumbled at him even before she'd opened her eyes, voice still fuzzy from sleep.

How she always _knew_ when he allowed his thoughts to wander along darker paths was beyond him. But knowing the question to be more of an annoyed demand that he cease-and-desist than an actual query, he merely smiled.

"What time is it?" she asked when she finally pried her eyes open to blink in the semi-darkness that shrouded the room.

"0936," he replied and couldn't keep the affectionate exasperation from his face when hers registered shock at the answer.

"Nine thirty six?! Crap!" At once, she was a bundle of panicked energy, struggling to gain control of still-lethargic limbs in order to climb over him and off the bed. "I'm late for the meet - !"

Her words were cut off with a surprised cry when he wound a hard arm around her waist before she could complete the motion; successfully tumbling her to land on top of him.

He frowned at her pointedly when she looked up. "Kisaka called while you were asleep. He said he'd take care of it."

"But - !"

"Cagalli," he drawled, making her name a warning in itself. "We had this conversation yesterday."

To soften the words, he quirked her a small grin. "Kisaka also said that your schedule has been cleared for today until we complete re-entry. I'm under orders to make sure you rest."

She opened her mouth to protest but paused and thought better about it when she saw the obstinance in his eyes. Glancing away and huffing an annoyed breath, she relaxed the muscles that had been tensed to fight his hold on her. Then, as the thought occurred to her, she turned back to him with a dark look. "What were you thinking about?"

He laughed. He couldn't help it.

Cagalli blinked before her eyes narrowed, incensed at his reaction. Taking advantage of her position sprawled on top of him, she beat a not-so-gentle fist against his chest. "What's so funny?!"

Catching her hand in his before she could think to try and force the air from his lungs again, Athrun let his laughter die down to an amused smile. "Are you trying to turn the tables on me Miss Athha?"

She scowled at him. "If I'm not allowed to work, you're not allowed to think! That was the deal!"

He cocked his head at her, eyes still laughing. "I thought the deal was 'within reason'...?"

Unable to come up with a plausible argument, she glared at him once more for good measure before wrenching her hand from his and rolling herself off him. When she hit the bunk, she continued the motion, stopping only when her back was pointedly turned towards him.

Athrun smiled indulgently at the indignant line of her back, letting the silence settle between them for a few moments. He then tilted his head to consider the ceiling and felt the smile fade from his lips. "We'll be landing at Kaguya in a few hours," he ventured into the silence. "Are you going to be glad to be off the ship?"

She hummed an affirmative, good nature partly restored by her notional gesture of defiance. "I'm looking forward to breathing fresh air again."

Silence once more.

"I was thinking of taking Lacus up on her offer to stay with Malchio... Especially since I don't particularly have a place where I could stay and..."

He trailed off when he felt the bunk shift as she rolled over to look at him, propping herself up on her elbows so she could look down into his eyes.

"I thought you'd - " She cut herself off with a faint frown, breaking eye contact to stare at the pillow beside his head. A moment later, she looked back with a small smile on her face. "Yeah... It could be good. You and Kira would get to spend more time together. And I could always visit."

Athrun tilted his head as he regarded her. There was a light in her eyes that he didn't recognise. All he knew was that it was directed at him. And despite being precious simply because of that fact, it was also a little hurt, a little annoyed and a little torn. Hesitantly, he reached up to rub his thumb against her cheek, offering her a wry twist of his lips. "I just don't know if I trust you to take care of yourself..."

She wrinkled her nose at him in irritation. "I'll be fine! I can take care of myself!" Then it was her turn to regard him skeptically. "On the other hand, I don't know if **I** can trust **you** to take care of **your**self... I was only asleep for a few hours and look what you've done!" With an outstretched finger and an affronted look, she rubbed gently at the furrow that had made itself comfortable on his brow.

He chuckled briefly, reaching up once again to catch her hand in his. Sombering up, he searched her eyes for that light that somehow seemed to give him courage, and then in a bare murmur, asked, "Would it be too much trouble for me to stay with you...?"

Underneath his fingertips, he could feel heat steal up her cheek before she shook her head emphatically.

Letting out a breath he hadn't known he was holding, he felt his smile widen when he once again saw that light in her eyes only to realise that it was no longer torn or hurt or annoyed. Unable to help himself, he laughed softly and gently drew her face down to his, murmuring a quiet "Sorry for the inconvenience" against her lips. He felt her huff her own breath of delighted laughter into the kiss before he was simply lost to the feelings.

When she finally pulled away, she stared into his eyes for a long moment. Appearing to find what she was looking for, she gifted him with another faint smile. Then with a final, chaste peck to his lips, she settled herself against him.

Stifling a yawn that had crept up on her without her knowledge, she struggled momentarily before reluctantly letting her eyes drift shut. "Stay," she demanded, tightening the arm she had once again wrapped securely around his waist.

He mumbled a quiet acknowledgment as his hand rubbed gentle, soothing circles on her back.

Just as she was about to give in to her body's tired summons, a thought occurred to her. Opening eyes that were mildly irritated, she didn't bother to look up at him but simply poked a warning finger at his vulnerable side. "And no thinking while I'm asleep!"

She felt, more than heard, his chuckle rumble through the chest on which her head was pillowed. Then his fingers were laced with those of her offending hand, effectively stilling their attempt to poke at him again. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't fast enough to prevent her from registering his body's instinctive recoil.

It appeared that Athrun Zala, Coordinator and ace mobile suit pilot though he was, was ticklish. She felt a mischievous smile creep its way across her features and was glad he couldn't see it as she filed the information away for later exploitation.

For now though, she was happy just to relax into the comfortable silence; the steady rhythm of his heartbeat lulling her into Morpheus's good graces once more.

Athrun's coaxing murmur floated to her as he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.

"Sleep Cagalli. I'll be here."

She smiled contentedly, squeezed the hand still linked with hers and mumbled back at him, "Sleep Athrun. I'll be here too."

* * *

**End**

**Author's Final Thoughts:** Well... /sweatdrops/ That was probably sweet enough to give people cavities... Excuse me while I run for my toothbrush. /LOL/

This fic was basically intended as a bridge between what happened at the end of the series and how things turned out in the 5min "Between the Stars" OVA. Ultimately, I think what attracts me to AsuCaga, more than any other pairing in Seed, is the dynamics and the process of give-and-take I see in their relationship. They each have something to contribute to the partnership, making them equals to be met on even ground and paving the way for a strong, stable relationship. Hopefully I was able to get that across in this fic without departing too much from their canon characterisations. Your thoughts?


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